Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G vs. Google Pixel 5a 5G: A Detailed Comparison
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For users prioritizing raw power and S Pen functionality, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G is the better choice, especially the Snapdragon variant. However, the Google Pixel 5a 5G delivers a more balanced experience with excellent camera performance and solid battery life at a significantly lower price point, making it the winner for budget-conscious buyers.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G | Google Pixel 5a 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-N981U | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 |
| 5G bands | 2, 5, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-N981U | 1, 2, 5, 12, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 |
| EDGE | No | - |
| GPRS | Yes | - |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 41, 66, 71 Sub6 - SM-N981W | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, August 05 | 2021, August 17 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, August 21 | Available. Released 2021, August 26 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame, aluminum back |
| Dimensions | 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm (6.36 x 2.96 x 0.33 in) | 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8 mm (6.15 x 2.88 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM |
| Weight | 192 g (Sub6 5G), 194 g (mmWave 5G) (6.77 oz) | 183 g (6.46 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus, 26ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~393 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~415 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~89.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.34 inches, 97.0 cm2 (~84.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED Plus, HDR10+ | OLED, HDR |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA | Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver) |
| Chipset | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA | Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G 5G (7 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA | Adreno 620 |
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Call records | 100 entries | - |
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM |
| Phonebook | 500 contacts | - |
| UFS 3.0 | - | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | - | 12.2 MP, f/1.7, 27mm, (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 16 MP, f/2.2, 119˚ (ultrawide), 1.0µm |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, Pixel Shift, Auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 1.3 MP | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm | - |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | Yes |
| 35mm jack | No | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS |
| Radio | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Games | Yes | - |
| Java | No | - |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS | - |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | - | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 18W wired, PD2.0 |
| Stand-by | Up to 80 h | - |
| Talk time | Up to 5 h | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 4300 mAh | Li-Po 4680 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Mystic Green, Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray, Mystic Red, Mystic Blue | Mostly Black |
| Models | SM-N981B, SM-N981B/DS, SM-N981U, SM-N981U1, SM-N981W, SM-N9810, SM-N981N | G1F8F, G4S1M |
| Price | About 430 EUR | $ 189.00 / C$ 249.99 |
| SAR | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.72 W/kg (body) | - |
| SAR EU | 0.68 W/kg (head) 1.37 W/kg (body) | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 122h |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 291303 (v8) GeekBench: 1337 (v5.1) GFXBench: 19fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G
- More powerful processor (Snapdragon 865 variant)
- S Pen functionality for enhanced productivity
- Faster wired and wireless charging
- Potential for higher resolution display
- Exynos variant prone to thermal throttling
- Higher price point
- Larger and heavier design
Google Pixel 5a 5G
- Excellent camera image processing
- Clean Android experience with guaranteed updates
- More affordable price
- Efficient processor for long battery life
- Less powerful processor
- Slower charging speed
- No wireless charging
Display Comparison
The Note20 5G boasts a more premium display experience, though specifics beyond size aren't provided. The Pixel 5a 5G, however, delivers a respectable 861 nits of peak brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even outdoors. While the Note20 likely has a higher resolution and potentially a higher refresh rate (based on Samsung’s typical flagship features), the Pixel 5a’s ‘Infinite’ contrast ratio suggests a strong OLED panel. The lack of refresh rate data for the Note20 is a key omission, impacting its perceived smoothness compared to newer displays.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in camera capabilities, but approach it differently. The Pixel 5a 5G leverages Google’s computational photography prowess, consistently delivering excellent image quality, particularly in challenging lighting conditions. While sensor sizes aren’t specified, Google’s software optimization often compensates for hardware limitations. The Note20 5G likely has a larger main sensor and more versatile lens options, but relies more on hardware specifications. The Pixel 5a’s image processing style is known for its natural look, while Samsung’s tends to be more saturated. The absence of details on the Note20’s camera system makes a direct comparison difficult, but its flagship status suggests a more feature-rich setup.
Performance
The performance gap is significant. The Note20 5G, equipped with either the Exynos 990 or the Snapdragon 865 5G+, offers substantially more processing power than the Pixel 5a 5G’s Snapdragon 765G. The Snapdragon 865 (USA variant) with its Kryo 585 core clocked at 3.0 GHz, will outperform the 765G’s Kryo 475 Prime at 2.4 GHz in CPU-intensive tasks. The Exynos 990, while powerful, is known to have thermal throttling issues, potentially limiting sustained performance. The Pixel 5a 5G’s 765G is a more efficient chip, prioritizing battery life over peak performance. The Note20’s potential for LPDDR5 RAM (likely) versus the Pixel 5a’s unspecified RAM further widens the performance advantage.
Battery Life
Both devices achieve an endurance rating of 122 hours, indicating similar overall battery life despite differing capacities. The Note20 5G supports 25W wired charging with PD3.0, allowing for faster top-ups compared to the Pixel 5a 5G’s 18W wired charging with PD2.0. The Note20 also offers 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, features absent on the Pixel 5a 5G. While the Pixel 5a’s efficiency helps offset the slower charging speed, the Note20 provides more charging flexibility.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G if you need a powerful processor for demanding tasks, require the S Pen for productivity, and value a larger, more vibrant display. Buy the Google Pixel 5a 5G if you prioritize a clean Android experience, exceptional camera image processing, and long-term software support, all while staying within a tighter budget.